 Different standards? 'It seems bizarre that the authorities would come to this private event. At a wedding, they don't expect people to send in their videos being screened for classification. What's the difference here?' -- Ms Chee Siok Chin (above), who led the organisers of the film screening last Saturday. ©The
Straits Times, Singapore (Used by permission)
by Sue-Ann Chia
Film seized by censors after organisers went ahead with
screening despite being warned
A 45-MINUTE film portraying Singapore as lacking in press and political freedoms
is under investigation by the Board of Film Censors (BFC).
Titled One Nation Under Lee, the film was being screened to an audience of about
70 at the Peninsula Excelsior Hotel last Saturday when officials from the BFC
turned up to seize the film.
Organisers of the screening, led by Ms Chee Siok Chin of the Singapore
Democratic Party, argued it was a private event, but BFC officials said they had
been tipped off that the film had not been passed by the censors and they had
the right to investigate.
The police were called in when negotiations hit a stalemate.
Ms Chee eventually let BFC officials into the room and handed over the film.
The altercation was filmed and put online on video-sharing site YouTube.
Guests paid $20 each to attend the screening-cum-lunch, said Mr Martyn See, a
film-maker who was in the audience.
Produced by 23-year-old political activist Seelan Palay, the film depicts a
Singapore tightly controlled by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and includes a call
for civil disobedience.
It also includes interviews with former political detainee Said Zahari and
opposition politician J.B. Jeyaretnam.
Ms Chee told The Straits Times: 'It seems bizarre that the authorities would
come to this private event. At a wedding, they don't expect people to send in
their videos being screened for classification. What's the difference here?'
Section 21(1)(b) of the Films Act makes it an offence to exhibit a film that has
not been approved for exhibition. The penalty is a fine of up to $40,000, or
jail of up to six months, or both.
BFC assistant licensing officer Tan Chiu Kee said yesterday it was alerted last
Thursday to the forthcoming screening of One Nation Under Lee.
As no film of that title had been submitted for classification, and the BFC had
not issued any certificate for a film with that title, it launched an
investigation, and later issued a warning to the 'appropriate person'.
Ms Chee confirmed that a BFC official told her of the offence at 9pm last
Friday.
Still, the screening proceeded the next day. So BFC officials went to the event
to investigate, said Mr Tan.
'The persons connected with the event had chosen to disregard the BFC's
notices...that it would be an offence to screen a film that has not been
submitted to the BFC for classification and that is not approved for
exhibition,' said Mr Tan, adding that investigations are continuing.
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YA Dato' Ian Chin's Notes of Proceedings
